Voting key and actuating arm as



Sept. 21, 1937.

A. F. FOEHRENBACH VOTING KEY AND ACTUATING ARM ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 15, 1935 Patented Sept. 21, 1937 UNITED STATES VOTING KEY AND ACTUATING ARM AS- SEMBLY Arthur F. Foehrenbach, Canton, Ohio, assignor to Berger Manufacturing Company, Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application February 15, 1935, Serial No. 6,651

4 Claims.

This invention relates to voting machines and more specifically to improvements in the construction of the voting spindle and actuating arm assembly therefor.

The present invention is adapted for use and constitutes an improvement in the voting spindle. assembly illustrated in Patent No. 2,054,102 issued September 15, 1936 to S. R. Shoup et a1. t is to be understood, however, that the invention is susceptible of use in other types of voting machines or in other forms of assemblies.

One of the objects of this invention is to con struct a sleeve for a voting machine spindle which is formed to restrain longitudinal movement of the actuating arm upon the spindle, and further which is adapted to lock or key the arms and sleeve upon the spindle for rotative movement therewith.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pressed steel spacer sleeve. which is constructed to facilitate the production of the component parts thereof from a single blanking and forming die set, and which is adapted to accommodate the afilxation of the various members of the assembly by a single riveted connection.

Another object of the invention is to provide a voting spindle assembly comprising the actuating arms, spacer, spacer sleeve and interlock pull strap, the unit being adapted for ready assembly within the voting machine during the erection thereof or readily removable therefrom during alteration, adjustment or repair.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a spindle arm assembly for a voting machine which is durable, economical of manufacture and susceptible of production within the prerequisite manufacturing tolerances of the machine without entailment of costly machining operations.

In the drawing wherein the preferred embodiment of the spindle assembly is illustrated Figure 1 is an elevational view of a portion of the machine illustrating a number of the voting shafts, a fragmentary portion of the voting machine panel frame and coordinated mechanisms.

Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating the Voting spindle, sleeve, voting arms and interlock pull strap mounted in assembled relation.

Figure 3 is an elevational view of the sheet metal blank constituting one of the members of the spindle sleeve embodied Within the present invention.

Figure. 4 is a side elevational view of the formed blank member illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is .an end elevational view of the sleeve member illustrated in Figure 4.

Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views of the sleeve members illustrated in Figure 4.

Figure 8 is an elevaticnal view of the actuating arm which comprises one of the elements of the voting spindle assembly.

Figure 9 is a view in perspective of the pin which supports the. interlock pull strap and which retains the actuating arms in their assembled relation.

Figures 10 and 11 are transverse sectional views taken on a plane indicated respectively by the lines llll0 and Il-H in Figure 2.

In a voting machine of the linear type it is customary to provide voting keys or levers for each of the candidates endorsed for office under the various party tickets. These voting levers are mounted upon spindles journalled within the machine and are usually organized to effect the actuation of the vote recording mechanism and to look from further adjustment the vote recording mechanism of a candidate for the same oflice but of another party.

As illustrated in Figure. 1, the voting machine housing 5 supports a plurality of straight ticket levers 6 connected respectively with vertically reciprocative plates 1 having pins 8 therein coordinated with linkage 9 to effect the operation of the vote recording mechanism, not shown. The linkage 9 embodies spindles l0 and arms [2 and I3 which pivotally support the interlock pull straps l4 and effectuate the reciprocation of the pull straps l4 upon adjustment of the voting levers. Since the straight ticket mechanism and appurtenances constitute per so no part of the present invention, and since such mechanisms are fully disclosed in the aforesaid copending application, no further description thereof is deemed necessary herein.

As illustrated in Figure 2, the voting spindle assembly comprises a. spindle ll] preferably formed from square bar stock which is machined with a shouldered end portion to facilitate the securement of the voting key or lever ll thereon, the spindles I0 are assembled through apertures formed in the face of the housing 5 with the levers on the outside or adjacent the outer face thereof, the inner free ends of the shafts l0 being supported by the linkage mounted thereon and coupled therewith during the assembly of the machine from the interior thereof. Upon the shaft ll] there is a sleeve upon which there is mounted a pair of actuating arms l2 and I3, the former being provided to actuate the vote recording mechanism while the latter is adapted for engagement with fingers formed in a reset plate which, subsequent the actuation of the voting lever ll, repositions the vote recording arms to their neutral or unvoted position. The arms l2 and I3 are also arranged to support an interlock pull strap I4 which is mounted upon a pin [5, the end portions thereof being riveted to the arms l2 and I3. In the instant case the sleeve is constructed from a pair of sheet metal stampings it and ll formed to fit snugly about the shaft and to accommodate the retention of the arms 52 and I3 against longitudinal movement thereon.

In detail the sleeve members it and El are formed from a metal stamping or blank l3 having recesses l9 upon one of the marginal edges and tongues disposed in the opposite marginal edge of the blank. The blank it is also provided with lugs or bosses 2i having vertical end walls 22 facing the respective end portions of the blank. The lugs 25 are pierced and pressed from the central body portion of the blank l3, equi-distant the ends thereof and in spaced relation equal the length of the pin it. The recesses i9 and the tongues 2e are of uniform size and equi-distant the ends of the blank so that the tongues of one of the sleeve members may be received within the recesses it of a second sleeve member when one of a pair of stampings from the same die is superimposed upon the other. It will be observed that the sleeve thus formed and assembled will be longitudinally interlocked and that the outer side walls thereof will be smooth and even.

As illustrated in Figure 8, the arms l2 and is are formed with square apertures which are adapted to snugly engage the outer walls of the assembled sleeve thereby preventing the transverse separation of the channel members. The arms l2 and iii are also provided with apertures 23 'to receive the shouldered ends 24 of the pin B5. The shoulders 25 extend slightly beyond the outer faces of the arms l2 and upon assembly to facilitate the riveted securement of the pin with the arms. The pin i5 is recessed intermediate its ends to accommodate the support .and proper disposition of the interlock pull strap M.

In assembly a pair of channel sleeve members 86 and i7 formed from the blanks it are first mounted one upon the other with their tongues and recesses in interlocked engagement. One of the arms, either i2 or 33, having the pin 25 riveted thereto is then mounted upon the sleeve thus formed .and longitudinally adjusted until the face of the arm engages the vertical end walls of the contiguous lug 2.0. The second arm is then adjusted over the sleeve, the shouldered end of the pin i5 tted within the aperture 23 therein and the protruding portion of the shoulder then riveted. During this operation the inner face of the second arm 52 or it will be drawn into engagement with the face 22 of the second lug 2i in the sleeve thus locking the arms longitudinally upon the sleeve. Thereafter the pull strap i l is fixed upon the pin l5 and the assembly is completed. (Dbviously the arms 92 and is may be mounted upon the sleeve, the pin positioned with its shouldered end portions within the apertures 23 and the assembled members then riveted by a single operation.

In the general assembly of the voting machine the spindles ill are mounted in the panel, the free ends thereof extending inwardly from the rear face of the panel of the machine. The voting spindle assemblies are then telescopically mounted upon the respective spindles and the pull strap positioned within the interlock unit. The pull straps and arms are thus aligned relative to each other while the end walls of the sleeve provide suitable spacing shoulders to effect the alignment of the assembly with its appurtenances.

Although the foregoing description is necessarily of a detailed character, in order that the invention may be completely set forth, it is to be understood that the specific terminology is not intended to be restrictive or confining, and that various rearrangements of parts and modifications of structural detail may be resorted to without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as herein claimed.

I claim:

1. In a voting machine, a voting spindle assembly comprising a spindle of square transverse section, a sleeve thereon embodying a pair of channel members having interengaged tongues and recesses for restraining said channels from longitudinal separation, said sleeve being formed to fit the spindle, a pair of spaced arms having square apertures therein for assembly upon said sleeve, a pin affixed to said arms and adapted to retain the arms in spaced relation, and lugs formed in said sleeve contiguous the inner faces of the arms when disposed in assembled relation to restrain said arms from longitudinal movement upon the sleeve.

2. In a voting machine, a voting spindle assembly comprising, a spindle of square transverse section, a lever affixed upon one end thereof, a sleeve of square transverse section formed to fit over said spindle, a pair of arms having square apertures therein for assembly on said sleeve, a pin intermediate said arms and affixed thereto for retaining said arms in spaced relation, said sleeve embodying a pair of channel members, interengaged tongues and recesses in the edges of said channel members for restraining said channels from longitudinal separation, lugs in said sleeve disposed to abut the inner faces of said arms for restraining said arms from longitudinal movement upon said sleeve, said sleeve being telescopically engageable over the free end of said spindle with said arms assembled in fixed spaced relation thereon.

3. A voting machine spindle assembly comprising a pair of channels of identical configuration, said channels having recesses and tongues in the marginal edges thereof disposed respectively equi-distant the ends of said channels whereby the tongues in one channel will engage the recesses in the other channel when the channels are assembled one above the other to form a sleeve, lugs having opposed vertical faces formed on said channel members, a pair of spaced arms having apertures therein configured for intimate engagement with the periphery of said sleeve and adapted to retain the channel members constituting said sleeve in assembled relation one above the other, said lugs in said channels being arranged to restrain movement of the arms toward each other upon the sleeve, and a pin intermediate said arms and affixed thereto to prevent movement of the arms away from each other.

4. A voting machine spindle assembly comprising a number'of channels of identical configuration, said channels having recesses and tongues in the marginal edges thereof disposed equi-distant the ends of said channels whereby the tongues in one channel member may engage the recesses in the other channel member, when the channels are assembled one above the other in abutting relation, lugs having opposed vertical faces formed on said channel members, a pair of spaced arms having apertures therein configured for intimate engagement with the periphery of the sleeve and adapted to retain the channel members in assembled position, said lugs in said channels being arranged to limit the movement of the arms toward each other upon the sleeve.

ARTHUR F. FOEI-IRENBACH. 

